A variety of infant blankets and coverings have been developed to help keep an infant warm while sleeping. Many such coverings can include mechanisms for attaching a sheet or blanket to a crib mattress and/or a crib bumper pad. Various other techniques have focused on infant jackets and fitted garments, which are attached to crib sheets and blankets.
With increased knowledge about infant sleeping patterns and sleeping safety, concern for infant warmth is now shared with a concern for infant comfort and safety. Some infants frequently change positions while sleeping so it can be desirable to free the baby's sleeping environment of hazards while at the same securing the baby's sleeping position.
An additional consideration in the infant bedding design is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). SIDS is the term used to describe the sudden, unexplained death of a baby under one year of age. Researchers estimate that SIDS is the cause of about 2,500 infant deaths each year. Although scientific and medical research has uncovered factors which indicate a predisposition to the disorder (i.e., low birth weight, age of mothers), no specific cause has been uncovered. Moreover, there are varied theories put forth by the medical community as to the cause of SIDS. Some theories suggest a neurological disorder in the infants which intercepts the breathing functions while sleeping and leads to the infant's death by asphyxiation.
Reducing SIDS deaths has been a goal of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (“NICHD”) since it was founded. In 1974, Congress passed the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Act (Public Law 93-270), which placed the NICHD at the forefront of SIDS research. This Act also charged the NICHD with providing information to the people of the United States about SIDS and ways to reduce the risk of SIDS.
In 1991, as a result of NICHD-supported research, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) began recommending that babies be placed on their backs to sleep, at naptime and at bedtime, to help reduce the risk of SIDS. In 1994, the NICHD joined the AAP and other partners in starting the “Back to Sleep” campaign, an effort to educate the public about reducing the risk of SIDS by placing babies to sleep on their backs. Since that time, the number of SIDS deaths has dropped by 50 percent.
Other recommendations include placing the baby on a firm mattress, such as in a safety-approved crib. Research has shown that placing a baby to sleep on soft mattresses, sofas, sofa cushions, waterbeds, sheepskins, or other soft surfaces can increase the risk of SIDS. Yet another recommendation includes removing soft, fluffy bedding and stuffed toys from the baby's sleep area. Still further, the NICHD recommends making sure the baby's head and face stay uncovered during sleep. This can include keeping blankets and other coverings away from a baby's mouth and nose, for example, by tucking the blanket in around the bottom of the crib mattress. While useful, merely tucking bedding around a crib mattress may not be sufficient to secure the bedding, especially for active babies that move, kick, and otherwise disrupt the position of bedding placed in the crib.